Art & Places: The Wave, KL

I was looking for some information about Whale and Dolphins sculpture when Niza told me it might be Abdul Multhalib’s work. I went google-ing his name and came across Arcawam’s blog article about local sculptures in Malaysia where it features Abdul Multhalib. Thanks to the writer/sculptor, Rosli Zakaria, I managed to get information about who sculpted Whale and Dolphins.

So later, I became interested in finding more information about Abdul Multhalib and his works. From his website, I found out that some of his works are displayed here in KL and jotted down the list on my phone. Last weekend I made that effort (it’s not like I have to take cheap flights to get there, it was just a 20 minutes drive) with my son to go and find one of his outdoor sculptures named The Wave, situated at Wisma Selangor Dredging. But of course, this won’t be the only only as I’ll be making the hunt for his other sculptures when time permits.

Abdul Multhalib Musa is known for his ‘fluid metal sculptures’ which seem to have been effortlessly carved out of metal. He has been granted numerous international awards and residencies in recognition of the works that he has done. An architect by training, Abdul Muthalib chose to be a sculptor and artist because he loves art more and according to him, he would be doing art and art related stuff, even if he was working as an architect. Using his knowledge in architecture, he created a one-of-a-kind style in his work. This is to bridge the highly technical aspect in architectural work and abstract representation of form more commonly associated to art.

Now let’s take a look at The Wave.

The Wave.

My son,Yassin, in front of The Wave.

According to Abdul Multhalib, The Wave reflects the eminent presence of Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB) over the years, creating a wave in the market that has been sustained since being established in the 1960s. The overall undulating element of the sculpture evokes a strong presence that is responsible in creating this continuous flowing motion. This is the intangible yet prominent force that the SDB exudes to its surrounding environment.

The mound at the base of the sculpture creates an illusion that the sculpture is rising from the earth. This relates thematically to the history of SDB, beginning as a company that is literally, down to earth. The earth and the mound acts as a firm foundation and rising from this is the artwork, a steel sculpture design that reflects a modern and contemporary style of living. This is in line with the current focus of SDB to promote a better quality lifestyle for the Malaysian public. The sculpture conveys a new direction towards strength and innovation as SDB seeks to build lifelong relationships by being caring and respectful towards their stakeholders, the people and the environment.”

The Wave was completed in 2006 and was made from mild steel tube. It stands at 2.2m high with 4.8m length x 5.5m width. This work gave rise to another similar work of his; ‘Swell‘.

If you are interested to see The Wave, do visit Wisma Selangor Dredging, just opposite Angkasa Raya building at Jalan Ampang, very near to KLCC.

Last but not least, I would like to extend my gratitude to Abdul Multhalib for taking the time to reply my e-mail regarding this particular work of his. Please do check out his works here: ((())) and Inchek Multhalib’s FB.